👉 Sender

The email sender gets relatively little attention compared to the subject line, but it is the only other thing a recipient sees before deciding to open your message.

Therefore, it is worth spending some time optimizing it!

If you use a "no-reply" email address, make sure that "No Reply" is NOT your alias! These are your supporters you are emailing and "No Reply" is not very friendly

Indeed, think carefully about whether you should use a "no-reply" email address at all. Surely you WANT to encourage communication with your supporters?

If your nonprofit has a lot of name recognition, then you can use that name as your sender alias. It will stand out and attract the attention of engaged supporters.

If it does not or you decide to take a more personalized approach, use this alias formula: "[first name] at [nonprofit name]". You still have your organization name in there, but you begin to build up a personal relationship with your audience rather than an impersonal one

👉 Personalization

Your supporters care about your nonprofit. You should show that you care about them – and personalization is an important way of doing that.

💥 78% of charity donors said that personalized communications increase their likelihood of donating again

It can be in the subject line or the body of the email, but with that kind of an effect that you'd be crazy to miss it out!

2. Four Sample Nonprofit Newsletter Templates

#1 Appeal

Source: app.getanewsletter.com

This leads with a powerful image that grabs the reader's attention. Combined with a headline that shows an urgent need for action and a clear, focused Call To Action, messages structured like this are very effective.

#2 Thank You/Welcome

Source: app.getanewsletter.com

A new subscriber or donor will already recognize your logo, so you can lead with that – along with the "welcome" or "thank you" headline.

This template includes two other sections to direct readers to other content. These could be:

Upcoming events

Case studies of how money is being spent

Volunteer profiles

#3 News Update

Source: app.getanewsletter.com

This version leads with one main article but has others as thumbnails (with "read more" links) to one side.

This ensures that the maximum number of news links are visible above the fold.

#4 News Update Mobile

Source: app.getanewsletter.com

This version uses all the same elements as #3 above but stacks them for reading on a narrow, portrait-aligned screen. Get A Newsletter's email builder will do this automatically for you!

You can create all these templates and many more when you register with Get A Newsletter.

About Emilia Korczynska

Emilia Korczynska is a marketing manager and content marketer with 5+ years of experience in startups and 10+ experience in copywriting, keen on reading, helping businesses grow through great content & everything SaaS-y. When she’s not writing, you can find her exploring the (concrete) jungles of South East Asia or running in Hyde Park.